Boom
by Merlin71
Summary: One wrong step for Teyla means one long leap for Sheppard


Title: Boom  
Author: Merlin71  
Summary: One wrong step for Teyla means one long leap for Sheppard.

**Boom**

"Colonel? Is anything wrong?"

John sighed at the question, wondering just how honest he should be in answering it, then ended up plastering a smile on his face as he replied, "Nothing's wrong, Teyla. Everything is just hunky dorey."

Teyla studied him a moment. "You seem, unsettled."

"I'm a bit jumpy," John allowed. "I've got that somebody walked over my grave feeling." At Teyla's frown he explained. "I'm feeling a bit spooked. Like something's going to happen." John was scoping the area by turning in a half circle as he spoke, but he didn't see anything except endless miles of blue-green grass and some trees far on the horizon. Same terrain everywhere they looked. "You don't sense any Wraith, do you?"

"No." Teyla was quick and firm in her reply. "I do not sense anything. Perhaps you are merely worried about Dr. McKay and Ronon."

John wished it was as simple as that. He shook his head. "Ronon can take care of the two of them and they're close enough to the gate to hightail it home if trouble shows up." McKay had found an energy reading in the rubble of what looked like a small temple and he and Ronon were investigating it. A second energy reading had shown up about two hundred meters east and that's where he and Teyla were heading. John had the scanner and they were getting closer, but the closer they got the more jittery he felt.

Teyla looked about to impart further words of wisdom when she stumbled. There was a clicking sound and her eyes went wide.

"Shit!" John heard it too and he knew what it meant. He dove at Teyla, tackling her and holding her to his chest as he rolled away as fast as he could. He felt his heart thudding hard in his chest in the split second before a loud boom rent the air and the ground beneath them shuddered. A heartbeat later, everything faded to black.

OoO

Waking up was a bitch. A painful bitch at that. As awareness filtered back in hazy increments, John became aware of the fact that his entire body hurt. Rather like he had pulled every muscle in his body. For a moment he couldn't figure out why, but then he remembered the explosion. Keeping his eyes closed, he focused on moving his fingers, then his arms, then toes in his boots and his legs at the knees. Everything seemed to be where it belonged. So he opened his eyes and made the effort to sit up. Pain stabbed at his left side, burning in his rib cage and he felt dizzy and nauseous when he was upright. A few shallow breaths helped, but a soft moan made him forget about his own ills.

"Teyla!" John rolled to his knees, blinking hard to bring his surroundings into focus. He ended up on all fours, crawling forward when he spotted Teyla's still form. When he reached her he saw blood on her face and her shoulder looked crooked. Hands shaking, John ran them over her, sometimes eliciting more moans, but she didn't wake up when he called her or shook her gently. Which was probably for the best. Her shoulder was dislocated. It was something he could take care of, and would have, but he was afraid something might be wrong with her collar bone because his fingers had brushed over a hard lump he thought might be bone. He didn't' want to risk further damage.

What he needed to do was get Teyla back to the gate. But he knew he was going to need help. Patting his ear, John realized his radio was missing. He searched Teyla but hers was gone too. Grimacing and biting back whimpers as pain rippled through him, he crawled about the area searching for the devices. It was getting dark and John's focus wasn't the best. He knew he was wasting time that could be precious. Teyla needed medical attention.

Moving back to her side, John got to his knees then he scooped Teyla into his arms as carefully as he could. She whimpered a few times, and he wanted to echo her, but instead he gritted his teeth and lurched to his feet. Teyla was small, but she was solid, and her extra weight put a strain on every muscle and his ribs were just about screaming at him. John sucked it up and started walking. He knew the way back to the temple. He just had to get there then Ronon would carry Teyla through the gate. No problem. He could do this.

And that was his mantra as each step felt weighed down and the sky darkened. John felt himself becoming lethargic, his eyes wanting to close even though he was fighting waves of pain and dizziness, with the added bonus of nausea coiling in his belly. He stumbled more often than not, but he knew he had to keep going. So he started talking to Teyla, wishing she would answer him. John was afraid she had suffered a head injury on top of everything else, which made him try to quicken his pace.

And that made him stumble more. At one point he fell to his knees and the fall jarred his ribs to the point where he had to bite his lip to keep from screaming. It also upped the ante on his nausea and John had to lay Teyla aside for a moment while he emptied his stomach. Vomiting made everything hurt worse, all the more so when he dry heaved for what felt like forever.

After a time he managed to spit, rinse his mouth with the bottle of water tucked into one of his vest pockets, then gather Teyla up into his arms again. Getting to his feet was harder this time. His throat hurt from the acrid bile he'd spewed, so talking was pretty much out. But humming seemed to work and John went through his favorite Johnny Cash songs as he stumbled along. It was full dark now, but there was something moon-like glimmering in the sky, which lit his way enough that he wasn't totally walking blind. He just hoped he was still heading in the right direction. At this point he had to trust his instincts that he was.

He wasn't sure how long it was before humming made his head hurt, so John fell silent, focusing on detaching himself from the pain that seemed almost like a current of agony running through his veins. It was all about mind over matter. Step after step. He just had to keep walking.

"Sheppard!"

He heard his name but it came out of nowhere and suddenly Teyla was being pulled away from him and John wasn't about to give her up. Not without a fight. "NO!" he snarled, only to find hands on his shoulders, gripping hard, then a familiar voice snapping,

"Colonel, let her go!"

"Rodney?" John whispered, turning his head and blinking hard to bring McKay's dim visage into focus. "We made it?"

Rodney made a face. "Almost. We lost radio contact with you, and Ronon wanted to check and make sure you were okay."

John shook his head, almost passing out from the spike of pain in his temples. But he gripped Rodney's arm for balance and said, "Teyla's hurt. It's bad. We have to get her back to Atlantis."

"We will," Rodney said, only his voice seemed to be fading.

"We have to go now!" John insisted, pulling away from McKay and turning to find Ronon beside them with Teyla looking small and fragile in his arms. "Where's the gate?" He felt a sudden rush of panic.

Rodney turned him slightly and pointed. "That way, about fifty yards. Can you make it?"

John nodded. "I'll make it." He waved at Ronon. "Go ahead with Teyla. We'll catch up."

"Be careful," Ronon rumbled, then he was off and running.

"Maybe we should just wait here and call for a jumper," Rodney said, reclaiming a hold on John's arm. "You don't look so good."

But John shrugged away and started walking. He had to get home and make sure Teyla was all right. And as he put one foot in front of the other, he started humming his favorite Johnny Cash song, I Walk the Line.

OoO

They made it back to find a med team waiting for them, along with Elizabeth. John brushed past her, almost limping now, telling her he would brief her later. He had to make sure Teyla was all right. He had to know they'd made it back in time. He sensed Rodney's presence, keeping pace, and it comforted John a bit. When he stumbled and hit the wall, a hand reached out to steady him. McKay's. John grunted a thank you and pulled away. He was almost there.

The infirmary seemed almost quiet when he walked in. Too quiet. Quiet like a tomb and John felt panic rearing it's ugly head again. "Doc!" he called out.

Ronon responded. "He's with Teyla." He pointed to a curtained off area.

John nodded, and that made his head hurt, but he ignored it and walked to the area. Shifting the curtain aside, he stepped in far enough to see what was going on. Teyla was so still and ashen, but John suddenly realized there was a beeping sound, a heart monitor. He could hear the sound of her heart which meant she was alive.

"Colonel...you have to leave now!" Beckett had spotted him.

"Okay," John whispered, because he knew he needed to let Beckett fix Teyla. So he stumbled back and Ronon was suddenly there, guiding him over to an empty bed. John saw another doctor waiting for him, but couldn't remember the woman's name to save his life. He didn't have time for her right now. But even as he opened his mouth to tell her that, he felt himself falling into darkness.

OoO

"Colonel...can you open your eyes for me?"

He recognized Beckett's voice, but he didn't want to leave the warm darkness that surrounded him. It was quiet and peaceful here. But Beckett was relentless. John opened his eyes. He had to blink to bring the Doc's face into focus. A worried face. Then John remembered. "Teyla..." he croaked.

Carson smiled and patted John's shoulder. "Rest easy, Lad. She's going to be fine. You focus on getting better yourself."

"Not sick," John replied, only it sounded grating to his ears. His throat hurt.

"Ice chip?" Even as Carson asked he was sliding one into John's mouth. Then he said, "No, not sick. Injured, Colonel. Want the list?"

He did, but first things first. John took a moment to savor the soothing coolness sliding down his throat. It wasn't until Beckett said his name again that he remembered where he was and what they had been talking about. "How long?" he asked, because that mattered most.

Carson grimaced. "You've been in and out of it for three days."

"Oh." That explained the IV and the catheter that John just realized he had. God he hated those things. "Okay, Doc. Give me the list." His voice was still raspy, but it didn't hurt to talk this time. It just wore him out a bit.

"Concussion, broken ribs, internal bleeding and too many muscle pulls to number," Carson replied. "You're going to be hurting for a while, Son."

John resisted the urge to sigh, knowing it would only make him hurt more. "What else is new?" he whispered.

There was the sound of scrambling footsteps, then Rodney was suddenly looming over John's bed. "So you finally decided to wake up," he said, looking both relieved an irritated. A feat that only McKay could achieve.

"Did I miss anything?" John asked. Not that he really cared. He was feeling tired, and relatively pain free. And he realized that the dopey feeling was because Beckett was fiddling with his IV. God bless Scottish Doctors and the good pain meds. John would thank him later.

"You missed lots of stuff," Rodney replied, then he was snapping his fingers at John. "No falling back asleep until you tell us what happened? Teyla doesn't remember anything but falling. There weren't' any cliffs involved, were there?"

John realized he wasn't sure what had happened either. He thought back to the planet and remembered feeling anxious and then it hit him. Only he didn't have the energy to explain it, but he'd give them a clue before slipping off to sleep again. "Big badda boom," he whispered, as his eyes drifted closed and warm darkness embraced him.

Carson looked at the now sleeping Colonel and frowned. "Big Badda boom?" he echoed. "What the bloody hell does that mean?"

"Brother," Rodney groused, rolling his eyes. "The Fifth Element," he explained. When Carson still looked blank he added, "It's a Bruce Willis movie. And don't ask." He turned on his heel and walked away, muttering under his breath. "Figures." But he would be sure to let Sheppard know he had the movie on his hard drive.

John dreamed of orange-haired Amazon women kicking Wraith butt Kung fu style.

**THE END**


End file.
